Court recorder questioned ‘why someone of your intelligence chose to behave in such a way

A woman who drove 30 miles the wrong way down the A14 in Northamptonshire told officers who finally stopped her that she had been “following her sat nav”, a court heard

Someya Parveen, aged 26, was spotted driving on the dual carriageway close to the M1 exit on the wrong side of the road at 5am on New Year’s Day.

Northampton Crown Court heard traffic officers were sent to the scene and they slowed all the traffic travelling towards Parveen’s Toyota Corolla, to create a “rolling roadblock”.

Rachel Law, prosecuting, said the officer then turned on his emergency lights as Parveen’s vehicle travelled towards him but she carried on driving straight past the police vehicle.

Ms law said: “The officer said he was horrified by what he witnessed. He was convinced the vehicle was going to crash head-on into his vehicle.

“Fortunately all the traffic had moved in to lane one behind the police car and the defendant’s vehicle travelled in lane two.”

In a bid to stop Parveen’s car, police then travelled down the opposite carriageway a kilometre further than her vehicle.

Ms Law said: “The officers than stood on the carriageway on foot with torches and high-vis jackets and waved the vehicle to the side of the road.

“Once the lady had been pulled over to a layby the lady appeared to be oblivious to the fact she had travelled on the wrong side of the road.

“She said she was following her sat nav as she was taking her parents to Stansted airport.”

Ms Law said the traffic officers said it was extremely lucky that the traffic was so light that there hadn’t been a head-on, fatal collision.

Parveen, who initially gave a false name to police, pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving.

Recorder Stuart Sprawson, sentencing, said: “I do not know why someone of your intelligence chose to behave in such a way that risked causing carnage.”

Parveen, of Malmesbury Avenue, Birmingham, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months. She must complete 100 hours unpaid work. She has also been banned from driving for two years and will have to take an extended retest before she can drive again.